Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars have launched a fund and awareness-raising campaign about the deadly spread of Ebola in Sierra Leone and other West African nations

In keeping with their long-time commitment to social and humanitarian activism, the band has teamed up with the media outlet, WeOwnTV, to produce and disseminate vital public service announcements about effective methods of preventing Ebola in Sierra Leone.

“People should be made aware that the impact of the Ebola crisis is not only the deaths of many people, but also the serious damage the scare has done to the economies in the countries affected,” said Jacob Edgar, president of Cumbancha, the band’s label. These views are reflected by Reuben M Koroma, the band’s leader who states ”We are worried. Very worried. All our families are in Sierra Leone and we are over here on tour. It is so important that we do all that we can while we are over here to fight this horrible disease back home.”

WeOwnTV debuted its first education workshop in Sierra Leone in January 2009 as a continuation of seven years of collaboration between North American filmmakers and humanitarian organisations in the region. WeOwnTV: Sierra Leone aim to build on this spirit of self-reliance as community members, specifically young men and women affected by more than a decade of war, are given the opportunity to create their own stories in their own words.

Currently on an extensive North American tour, the band have begun making speeches about their campaign and collecting donations to WeOwnTV during each of their shows and will continue to do so until the spread of Ebola has stopped.

Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars are a potent example of the redeeming power of music and the ability of the human spirit to persevere through unimaginable hardship and emerge with optimism intact. The band have performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages and matured into one of Africa’s top touring and recording bands.